ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
Latest Magazine Issues
Aug 2026
Jan 2026
2026
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
October 2026
Nuclear Technology
September 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
August 2026
Latest News
Center for Used Fuel Research: Building confidence in storage and transport
Used nuclear fuel storage and transportation have reached a critical juncture.
Dozens of utilities need reliable data on how used nuclear fuel performs in dry storage casks and canisters to extend regulatory licenses at sites across the United States. Likewise, the Department of Energy expects to take ownership of the used nuclear fuel—termed “spent nuclear fuel” in the laws and regulations governing its stewardship—and transfer it to one or more federal staging facilities for management and disposition.
Meanwhile, dozens of reactor companies are testing prototypes of advanced reactors and advanced reactor fuels. Eventually, regulators and industry must also verify the safety and security of storage methods for these advanced fuel types.
To help address these challenges, the DOE established the Center for Used Fuel Research (CUFR) in January 2026 for work related to the long-term storage and transport of used nuclear fuel.
Keynotes Session
Thursday, August 24, 2023|8:00–8:50AM EDT|Columbia 3/4
Session Chair:
Stephen Bajorek (USNRC)
David E. Holcomb is currently the molten salt reactor (MSR) technology lead for Idaho National Laboratory and a Battelle distinguished inventor. Dr. Holcomb serves as vice-chair and risk and safety lead of the Generation IV International Forum’s MSR provisional system steering committee, chairs the American Nuclear Society’s working group developing a design safety standard for liquid fueled MSRs (ANS 20.2), and serves as a senior technical advisor to the US-DOE MSR campaign. Dr. Holcomb recently retired from the technical staff of Oak Ridge National Laboratory with 30 years of service. He has previously served as the DOE national technical area lead for MSRs and for instrumentation and controls (I&C) for advanced reactors.
Dr. Holcomb has provided support to the US NRC in a variety of MSR areas including fuel salt qualification and topics beyond guidance documents as well as developing an MSR training course for NRC staff. Dr. Holcomb lead the team applying the phenomenon identification and ranking table (PIRT) methodology to MSRs and the team evaluating potential MSR initiating events.
Dr. Holcomb has served as adjunct faculty at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in the Nuclear Engineering Department since 1995 and is a current member of the nuclear engineering program advisory board for the Ohio State University. He is a member ANS and is a past chair of the Human Factors, Instrumentation, and Controls Division. Dr. Holcomb has served multiple times as the general and technical chair of the annual ORNL-GAIN MSR workshops.
